Mae West: Robin Ireland

It was November 2001 at the busy Baltimore-Washington International Airport and passengers waiting in lines were confounded, entertained, tickled, and jostled by the likes of MAE WEST, Cher, Madonna, Groucho, Austin Powers, and even Uncle Sam.
• • According to Washington Post reporter Fern Shen: Groucho and the rest of the troupe of pop-culture icons were hired by the Maryland Aviation Administration to soothe the jangled nerves of travelers scared about flying or cheesed-off by hours-long waits. "We decided anything to make the environment more friendly and comfortable would help — — anything that would be distracting would be good," said John White, a BWI spokesman. If comic relief is good for travelers, who could be better at it than a Mae-impersonator armed with an arsenal of familiar one-liners? A tarmac with a laugh track — — good move, BWI.
• • In November, Let's Remember Robin Ireland [1960 — 2006] • •
• • Psychic Richard Ireland was a frequent guest at the beach house of Mae West. Once in awhile, he brought his two teenagers with him, Mark and Robin.
• • Mark Ireland once recalled: Because of his phenomenal abilities, Richard Ireland counseled many celebrities — — including film star Mae West.
• • Mark Ireland said: Richard's daughter, my sister, Robin Ireland [16 April 1960 — 25 November 2006] passed after an extended battle with cancer on 25 November 2006 at 2:45AM. Robin was courageous and faithful, demonstrating grace and acceptance, while knowing that her life on earth was drawing to a close. Robin had a tremendous passion for music and her talent is remembered by all who knew her. Robin's voice is still heard, both in recordings left behind and through new songs in the next realm.
• • A lovely and gifted individual, Robin was 46 when she gave her family one last smile on November 25th.
• • On 25 November 1980 in Los Angeles • •
• • A private service for Mae West was held in the Old North Church replica, in Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, on 25 November 1980. Another service followed at Cypress Hills Cemetery (NYC).
• • On 25 November 1989 in the Orlando Sentinel • •
• • This auction news was reported on 25 November 1989: The London auction house Christie's plans to offer a collection of film memorabilia next month, including six signed love letters the film star Errol Flynn penned from his London boarding school to a friend's sister. Carey Wallace of Christie's said Friday: ''I can't imagine there are any earlier Flynn love letters.'' The billets-doux are expected to fetch about $1,500 and will be auctioned along with derbies that belonged to Laurel and Hardy — — and imitation diamonds owned by actress Mae West.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "A dame that knows the ropes isn’t likely to get tied up."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about a 29-year-old collector in Florida mentioned Mae West.
• • Jesse Portis Helms wrote: Not long ago, while scouring antique shops in Dania, Evan Bernstein bought a collection of Mae West memorabilia. The collection included Mae West autographed books, record albums and many newspaper articles.
• • And to his surprise, amid all the Mae West relics, he found one of the most complete collections of clippings about Jayne Mansfield.
• • Charles Herschberg of Hallandale, who originally bought a Jayne Mansfield hot water bottle from Bernstein, explained the connection between the two film sirens. "There were lots of clippings about how Jayne stole her husband from Mae West`s act," said Herschberg, who is writing a book about Mansfield. "Over the years, stories get simplified, but these articles contain all the original quotes."
• • Brad Simmons, 14, of Plantation, Florida has been collecting movie memorabilia and art deco objects since he was 8. He recently bought a Mae West autograph from Bernstein. "I`ve bought antique toys from him and my mother buys his art deco jewelry," Brad said. "I never thought I could find things like that right here in Broward County." . . .
• • Source: Article: "Collector Keeps Eye On The Past At Home, At Work" written by Jesse Portis Helm, Special to the News/ Sun-Sentinel; published on 25 November 1986
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2126th blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West: A-MAE-Zing Inheritance

In the summer of 1926, MAE WEST performed at a charity benefit at New York City's Polo Grounds and on the bill was 35-year-old Hazel Dawn, a member of the original Ziegfeld Follies in 1907.
• • Born in Ogden, Utah, to a Mormon family, pretty Hazel Dawn [23 March 1891 — 28 August 1988] was a stage, film, and TV actress.
• • Hazel Dawn made her screen debut as Kate Shipley in "One of Our Girls" (1914). Her association with Famous Players — Lasky film company dated from this motion picture. Dawn followed this role with others in "Niobe" (1915), "Clarissa" (1915), "The Masqueraders" (1915), etc.
• • Hazel Dawn was once the mascot of both the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy at one of their annual football games. At one point, West Point cadets tossed their hats onto the stage, one cap belonging to future U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
• • In 1927 she married Montana mining engineer, Charles Gruwell — — reputedly one of the richest men in the western United States.
• • At the age of 97, Hazel Dawn died in Manhattan at the home of her daughter in the month of August — — on 28 August 1988. Born two years before Mae West, her path in life was so different.
• • Probability, like time, is its own dimension. Perhaps there was an irresistible urge in certain ladies to cultivate a million admirers. A different woman would be spending her time trying to marry a millionaire. Yet another female is determined to be that millionaire. How many chances are there in one life to rewrite the acceptable version of the public self?
• • Proust said that truth is only a point of view about things. Rick, a discerning collector of Westiana, who had inherited a million memories and a trove of Mae West souvenirs from his mother, cherishes these experiences and shares his story with our readers.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • In commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of Mae's burial, Baltimore-based admirer Richard S. Baynes writes about Mae West and the way he became the designated guardian of his mother's beloved keepsakes.
• • • Rick remembers: I am very happy to share my thoughts about Mae West. I happen to have a nice collection of Mae memorabilia left to me by my mother.
• • • My mother adored many of the strong women actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood. She often mentioned actresses like Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Barbara Stanwyck — — but Mae was her favorite because she had a personal connection.
• • • My mother met Mae in 1949 when she was appearing in Baltimore, Maryland as “Diamond Lil” at the Town Theatre (which was vacant and in disrepair for years, but is being renovated this year to house a local theater company). At the time, Mae would often stop in the historic Lexington Market downtown to buy fresh fruit. I’ve read that she was actually hospitalized during her stay in Baltimore, but overruled her doctor’s objections and checked out early. I also read that her long time companion Paul Novak was from Baltimore.
• • • • • • One Man's a-MAE-zing Collection • • • • • •
• • • Ricks adds: I have two signed Playbills, a couple of posters, LPs from the 1960s, movie fan magazines with articles about Mae, old cigarette cards, and song sheets with Mae’s picture on them. Over the years I’ve added to the collection (through EBAY) items such as the Mae West “Royal Doulton” figurine, the “Esco” statue, the “Effanbee” doll, a check signed in 1940, and a picture printed from a unique negative. I have also collected various mugs, cups and plates with her likeness. I particularly value a ticket from the premiere of “Sextette” held in San Francisco in 1978. I have one room that has been turned into a Mae West museum.
• • • I remember taking a trip with my mother in the late 1970s to Hollywood. While there, we just had to visit the Ravenswood Apartment Building. No, we never caught a glimpse of Mae — — but I do remember her name and phone number were listed in the Los Angeles phone book!
• • • Initially I learned about Mae from my mother, but over the years I became more and more fascinated by her life story. To me, Mae seemed bigger than life. She epitomized the true meaning of “a movie star.” She was her own creation and stayed faithful to her image until the day she died. I would love to have met her!
• • • • • • Mae West Still Matters • • • • • •
• • • Mae still matters because she is irreplaceable — — there will never be anyone like her. Celebrities today come and go, but her star is eternal. One hundred years from now, people will know the name “Mae West” and it will bring an instant smile to their face.
• • • She may not have an organized fan club but, as all the true Mae-mavens know, there is an annual Mae West Birthday Blast in New York City and another one in Hollywood. This yearly tribute on the East Coast and the West Coast means that the Empress of Sex still has fans of all ages and races. Her movies have brought immense pleasure to my life, and I’m grateful to her for that. (By the way, I take my hat off to the MAE WEST BLOG, a daily dose of the Brooklyn bombshell that does so much to keep her memory alive and helps new fans to discover her.)
• • • Take care and God bless.
Written by: Richard S. Baynes, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1949 • •
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Mae West: Paul Novak

Imagine those happy occasions that took place yearly each February 24th when MAE WEST planned a birthday celebration for her live-in lover.
• • Born Chester Rybinsky in Baltimore on 24 February 1923, Mae's darling was thirty years her junior.
• • They met and became acquainted when Charles Krauser, George Eiferman, Irvin "Zabo" Koszewski, Dick DuBois, Dominic Juliano, Joe Gold, Armand Tanny, Gordon Mitchell, and Mickey Hargitay were among the star bodybuilders in West's chorus for all — — or part — — of the show's three-year run.
• • Chuck Krauser changed his name again, becoming Paul Novak — — Mae's main man for the next 24 years.
• • Paul Novak [1923 — 1999] lived to be 76 years old.
• • The British journalist Tom Vallance wrote this intriguingly detailed remembrance ten years ago in 1999.
• • THE LEGENDARY star Mae West once said, "A man in the house is worth two in the street" — — and for the last 26 years of her life Paul Novak was that man, her companion, bodyguard, and acknowledged love of her life who shunned publicity himself but ensured that West's last years were happy ones.
• • He had met West in the 1950s when he became one of the team of musclemen who backed her in her night-club act, and he soon fell in love with her, though she was nearly 30 years his senior. Described as "the epitome of the strong, silent type," he was content to stay in the background and let it be assumed that he was merely the star's bodyguard — — but in fact he was her husband in everything but name.
• • Born Chester Ribonsky in Baltimore in 1923, Novak served as a navy gunner in the Second World War and as a member of the merchant marines fought in Korea and Vietnam. A body-builder with aspirations to be a wrestler, he changed his name to Charles Krauser. His friend Joe Gold, founder of Gold's Gyms and another member of West's chorus line, said, "He changed his name legally in New Orleans to Krauser, thinking it was a good moniker for a wrestler."
• • (It was Mae West who suggested a final change to Paul Novak.)
• • He also worked as a circus handyman before joining West's line of eight loin-clothed musclemen to whom she sang, "I Like To Do All Day What I Do At Night" in the fabled night-club act that made a sensational debut in Las Vegas in July 1954. Time magazine reported, "Mae's troupe proved invigorating even for jaded Las Vegas", and the act subsequently toured the US for over five years. One of the other chorus-boys was the former "Mr Universe" Mickey Hargitay who in 1956 became romantically involved with Jayne Mansfield.
• • When Mansfield and West began to fight over Hargitay, and Mansfield made some publicly disparaging remarks about West's age, the ensuing uproar resulted in Novak's punching Hargitay — — the only occasion on which Novak made the headlines. An intensely private person, he managed for the rest of West's life to stay out of the limelight, though when photographed with her they made a striking couple, West's tiny if voluptuous body contrasting with the wide shoulders and massive chest of her companion.
• • Throughout her career, West had been known for her countless love affairs with actors, wrestlers, prize fighters and chorus boys (she once said, "Sometimes it seems I've known so many men the FBI ought to come to me first to compare fingerprints") but, according to the writer Justin Clayton, "Her love affairs continued until she fell in love with beefy muscle-man Paul Novak, who quickly became her lover, bodyguard, driver, cook and anything else to prove his love for her. From that meeting and up until the end of her long life, Novak would be at Mae's side to tend to her every need. His devotion was noted by nearly everyone who was in their company, and for the first time in her life Mae began to settle down in a monogamous relationship."
• • Though those who knew them attested to their mutual devotion, they were both strong-willed and temperamental, and Novak, like any paid companion, was not popular with all of West's friends and relatives. On one occasion after an argument with West's brother and sister-in-law, whom she supported, Novak rang Joe Gold and asked him to drive him to New Orleans so that he could sign up for another tour of duty with the merchant marines.
• • Dolly Dempsey, a long-time friend of the couple, said, "It was the first time I ever heard Mae really talk like Diamond Lil. As Paul was leaving, she told him, `Just remember, there ain't no swingin' doors in this place!' " Joe Gold added, "Just as Novak was about to board ship in New Orleans he stopped to make a phone call. Returning, he said, `I've got to catch a plane', and he flew home to West, leaving me to drive back to Los Angeles alone."
• • During the final years of West's life, she and Novak lived a quiet life, entertaining small groups of friends (including the directors George Cukor and Robert Wise) or strolling by the sea near the 22-room beach house in Santa Monica where they spent most of their time, though West also had an apartment in Hollywood.
• • With Novak's constant protection and his concern for her diet and exercise, West survived until the age of 87, when she had a series of strokes. On 22 November 1980 she died in her sleep, with Novak at her bedside.
• • A few years before she had said that Novak was "a good guy," adding, "Of course there's 40 guys dyin' for his job!" In her last years West continually asked him to contact an attorney so that she could change her will in his favor, but he later stated, "I always said to her, `Now now, dear, there's plenty of time to do that.' I guess I thought she would live forever. How did she ever pick me — — just a wrestler and roustabout?' "
• • Chester Ribonsky (Paul Novak), sailor, bodybuilder and bodyguard: born Baltimore, Maryland 1923; died Santa Monica, California 14 July 1999.
— — Source: — —
• • Obituary: Paul Novak
• • Byline: Tom Vallance
• • Published by: The Independent [London, England]
• • Published on: Tuesday — — 20 July 1999
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Correction! Mae West researcher and fan Mark Desjardins has furnished us with fresh information. Mr. Desjardins writes: That was a wonderful birthday tribute you posted for Paul Novak. However, I would like to point out that his original birth name, Chester Ribonsky was misspelt; his surname was actually Rybinsky. Kevin Thomas, who knew Paul Novak and Mae West, wrote the Los Angeles Times obituary for him and after it was published, sent me a hand corrected copy. Paul's nephew corrected him after publication. However, for some reason, the improper spelling of his name continues to occur.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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• • Photo: • • Mae West • • Paul Novak (left side) • • 1955 • •
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Mae West: Ill as Lil in 1949

Sixty years ago, MAE WEST — — always feisty, lively, and hard-working — — was suffering with various health problems during January 1949. Portraying the insouciant Diamond Lil was even more difficult while ailing and touring, even for this indefatigable trouper.
• • No doubt these headlines in The New York Times added more stress to both the star and her producers when reporter Sam Zolotow's article was printed in Monday's newspaper on 17 January 1949: MAE WEST REVIVAL DROPS TORONTO RUN; Star's Illness in Baltimore to Halt Buffalo, Syracuse Visits — — Play Due Here February 3rd
• • Sam Zolotow wrote: A gallant attempt by Mae West to minimize her illness hasn't been successful. The star of "Diamond Lil," scheduled to arrive February 3 at the Coronet in the revival of her play, had appeared in Baltimore last week through Friday night [14 January 1949 ], when she was taken ill. . . .
• • Ironically, this distressing announcement appeared in the paper on page 15 in their section called "Amusements" [N.Y. Times, 17 Jan 1949]. We know who was not amused!
• • Perhaps the difficulty of continuing to perform in a three-hour-long stage play even when unwell — — in order not to disappoint ticket-holders and her fans — — contributed to Mae's accident in February 1949, when she fell and broke her ankle.
• • The 1949 Broadway revival at the Coronet Theatre on West 49th was a run Mae West would not forget.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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